The Arizona Diamondbacks hope to steal another victory at Guaranteed Rate Field in Saturday’s rematch with the Chicago White Sox. Johnny Ceuto bombed on the mound, and the Diamondbacks rolled to a 7-2 win in the opener. They’re hoping the same happens to rookie right-handed pitcher Davis Martin when he gets the green light to start against Diamondbacks veteran righty Merrill Kelly.
Diamondbacks rookie pitcher Tommy Henry put on the blinders and completely forgot about the loss he had against the St. Louis Cardinals that wasn’t his fault. He put the White Sox’s batters on the ropes and helped lead Arizona to a 7-2 series-opening victory.
And now the roles are reversed with the veteran Merrill Kelly going head-to-head with White Sox rookie Davis Martin.
This is an opportunity for Kelly and company to take a commanding lead and put this interleague series to bed. The 33-year-old righty is throwing a 2.87 ERA with a 10-5 record and 1.14 WHIP. So he should pose a significant threat to a White Sox offense averaging in the bottom-half of the league in runs scored (4.19). As long as Kelly can avoid a catastrophic meltdown, the Diamondbacks should roll in this game.
But Arizona’s offense is from trustworthy. Their bats have gone quiet en ough in games that it makes even a matchup against the rookie pitcher seem incredibly dangerous. Kelly must do his part and keep the Diamondbacks out of trouble.